Many vehicles are powered by internal combustion engines. Internal combustion engines require a source of air normally for combustion of the fuel involved. The combustion air is drawn from the ambient air surrounding the vehicle. The ambient air may contain dust or fume particles which if ingested into the engine would damage such an engine or reduce its useful life. Typically, therefore the induction passage of the engine includes a filter. Some type of housing must be made which supports the filter element and which guides air to force it to pass through the filtration element and then to duct the filtered air to the engine intake passages.
It is also common in vehicles, particularly vehicles which travel on roads, to provide a source of fluid to be used in cleaning viewing surfaces, principally the windshield of the vehicle. Fluid may be required to clean a front windshield or a rear window or any other surface through which the operator may wish to have an unobstructed view. Typically, vehicles are equipped with a housing which comprises a fluid storage chamber. The storage chamber may have a sump or other means to accommodate a fluid pump. Fluid may then be pumped from the storage chamber to nozzles or other like devices around the vehicle to assist in cleaning viewing surfaces.
Heretofore the fluid storage chamber has been independent of any ambient air flow chambers. Typically ducting is provided to the air flow chamber and the air flow chamber is supported on the engine or the vehicle as needed. Additionally, the fluid reservoir chamber is also located on the vehicle wherever space permits and means are provided to mount the fluid reservoir chamber on either the engine or the vehicle as desired.
Typically the filter elements for such vehicles require replacement from time to time and thus the housing defining the flow paths for the ambient air through the filter element must be openable in some fashion to permit replacement or cleaning of the filtration element.